The Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort is currently steaming north toward New York harbor to help support the city hospital system during the coronavirus crisis. The ship will dock at a newly dredged berth at Pier 90 on the Hudson River.
The ship does not have the facilities or equipment to cope with an infectious disease outbreak, so the Comfort will take overflow patients who do not have the coronavirus, from other New York hospitals. There is a concern, however, whether the more than 1,200 personnel aboard have been adequately screened for the Covid-19 virus.
Before coming aboard each of the Navy and civilian personnel who serve on the ship is required to respond to a health questionnaire and have his or her temperature taken. No one is tested for the virus.
There are concerns that this level of screening may be inadequate. A healthcare professional and spouse told Navy Times that these measures could prove insufficient, due to the crew of “young, healthy men and women who can be exposed to the virus and not show symptoms for up to 14 days.”
Additionally, the Navy confirmed the Comfort does not have the capability to test for COVID-19 onboard. However, “the crew has the ability to swab and send samples to designated laboratories.”
The Navy notes that the screening process is the same one in use by medical professionals across the country. What complicates the situation, however, are the close quarters aboard this and any Navy vessel.
Again from the Navy Times: “We also know how dangerous of a breeding ground a ship can be for a highly contagious pathogen. I work for our local hospital and am caring for patients every day. I have no idea what I’ve been in contact with and have no idea what I’ve shared with my husband, and therefore, have no idea what he might have carried onto that ship.”
That concern was echoed Friday by retired Adm. James Stavridis, who emphasized that the living quarters and restricted spaces onboard a naval vessel could serve as “birthing compartments” for COVID-19.
Last week, a Covid-19 virus outbreak onboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt forced the Navy to sideline the 5,000-person carrier in Guam so that every crew member could be tested, a process expected to take up to 25 days.